Yellow fever mosquitoes’ genes pick up human odor

The yellow fever mosquito sustains its taste for human blood thanks to a genetic tweak that makes it more sensitive to human odor, according to a paper in Nature. They have a version of an odor-detecting gene in its antennae that is highly attuned to sulcatone, a compound prevalent in human odor.

The gene, AaegOr4, is more abundant and more sensitive in the human-preferring “domestic” form of the yellow fever mosquito than in its ancestral “forest” form that prefers the blood of non-human animals.

The research could help in developing better ways to stem the yellow fever mosquito’s appetite for humans, said  first author Carolyn “Lindy” McBride, an assistant professor at Princeton University.

The yellow fever mosquito is found in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide and is the principal carrier of yellow fever, the measles-like dengue fever, and the painful infection known as chikungunya. Yellow fever annually kills tens of thousands of people worldwide, primarily in Africa, while dengue fever infects hundreds of millions. The research also suggests a possible genetic root for human preference in other mosquitoes, such as malaria mosquitoes, although that species is genetically very different from the yellow fever mosquito.

“The more we know about the genes and compounds that help mosquitoes target us, the better chance we have of manipulating their response to our odor” McBride said, adding that scent is not the only driver of mosquito behavior, but it is a predominant factor.

Read full, original article: Why Yellow Fever Mosquitoes Love Humans – Thanks Genetics

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